EP0778609B1 - Fluorescent lamp with thermal heat shield between lamp tube and ballast circuitry - Google Patents
Fluorescent lamp with thermal heat shield between lamp tube and ballast circuitry Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0778609B1 EP0778609B1 EP96308767A EP96308767A EP0778609B1 EP 0778609 B1 EP0778609 B1 EP 0778609B1 EP 96308767 A EP96308767 A EP 96308767A EP 96308767 A EP96308767 A EP 96308767A EP 0778609 B1 EP0778609 B1 EP 0778609B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- lamp
- heat shield
- lamp tube
- power
- ballast
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
- H01J61/02—Details
- H01J61/56—One or more circuit elements structurally associated with the lamp
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
- H01J61/02—Details
- H01J61/04—Electrodes; Screens; Shields
- H01J61/045—Thermic screens or reflectors
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
- H01J61/02—Details
- H01J61/30—Vessels; Containers
- H01J61/32—Special longitudinal shape, e.g. for advertising purposes
- H01J61/327—"Compact"-lamps, i.e. lamps having a folded discharge path
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a fluorescent lamp employing a thermal heat shield between lamp tubes and ballast for extending ballast life.
- Compact fluorescent lamps typically comprise a lamp tube with a number of 180° convolutions, or bends, to achieve compactness, while maintaining a long tube length.
- Located at each end of the lamp tube is a respective pair of elongated conductors connected across the ends of a filament-heated type of cathode within the lamp tube.
- Such conductors are referred to herein as cathodes, or elongated cathodes.
- the cathodes are connected to ballast circuitry to suitably condition the current supplied to the cathodes.
- the ballast circuitry is typically connected to an Edison-type screw base for installation into a conventional incandescent lamp socket.
- wire crimps One prior art practice of connecting lamp cathodes to ballast circuitry has been to make such connection using so-called wire crimps.
- a cathode is placed in one end of a wire crimp (i.e., a cylindrically shaped conductive member), and a wire from the ballast circuitry is placed in the other end of the wire crimp.
- the wire crimp is then compressed to make a mechanically and electrically sound connection between cathode and ballast circuitry.
- ballast circuitry for the lamp positioned adjacent lamp tube and heated lamp cathodes, the increased heat from the increased-wattage lamps causes ballast temperature to increase. It is known that for every 10 degrees Celsius increase in temperature, the wear out of various ballast components (e.g., electrolytic capacitors) is accelerated by about 50 percent. Other factors increase ballast temperature, such as placing ballast circuitry within a recessed fixture that limits ballast cooling, or including an amalgam in the fill of the lamp tube which results in system temperature increase in certain application (e.g., in a recessed lamp fixture).
- DE-A-4209763 there is described a compact fluorescent lamp which includes a heat shield separating power transforming means (electrical lead-ins for the lamp tube) from the ballast circuitry of the lamp.
- US-A-4,871,944 describes a compact fluorescent lamp in which ventilation apertures are provided in the housing of the lamp base, to cool the lamp and its ballast circuitry.
- the present inventors performed a considerable number of thermal studies on compact fluorescent lamps to determine a simple (e.g., low cost) and effective approach to limiting ballast temperature.
- an object of the invention is to provide a fluorescent lamp in which ballast temperature is significantly reduced and ballast lifetime thus significantly lengthened.
- a further object of the invention is to enable a fluorescent lamp to operate with increased lifetime of its ballast circuitry when the lamp is positioned in a relatively hot (e.g., recessed) fixture.
- a still further object of the invention is to realize the foregoing by the use of a thermal heat shield that can be provided at low cost
- Fig. 1 is a simplified, exploded view in perspective of a compact fluorescent lamp incorporating both heat shield and lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect features of the present invention.
- Fig. 2 shows parts of the lamp of Fig. 1 from the perspective of an arrow 28 in Fig. 1.
- Fig. 3 is a detail upper plan view of a loom 43 shown in Fig. 1.
- Fig. 4 is a detail side plan view of groove 46 of Fig. 3.
- Fig. 5 is a detail upper plan of groove 46 of Fig. 4.
- Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a conductive, clip 22 of Fig. 1.
- Fig. 6A is a detail view of the clip of Fig. 6.
- Fig. 7 is a detail cross-sectional view of an assembled lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect taken at arrows 7, 7 in Fig. 3, omitting cathode 41 for clarity.
- Fig. 8 is a simplified, side plan view of an assembled lamp in accordance with the invention.
- Fig. 9 is a simplified view showing the automatic positioning of a cathode into a loom of the interconnect feature of the invention, and is taken at arrows 9, 9 in Fig. 3.
- Fig. 10 is a detail of a groove of an interconnect loom with a cathode resting partially within the groove, and is similar to Fig. 4.
- Fig. 11 shows a left-most portion of a cathode being held taut by a post 70 around which it is wrapped, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
- Fig. 1 shows selected parts of a compact fluorescent lamp 10 embodying both heat shield and lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect features of the present invention.
- Lamp 10 includes a plastic cap 12, shown in simplified form, for holding the upper-shown ends of a convoluted lamp tube 14.
- Lamp tube 14 contains suitable fill materials for producing light.
- Ballast circuitry 18 is schematically shown as a box, although in practice it is realized on a printed-circuit board (PCB) 20 as individual components, such as resistors, special purpose integrated circuit configurations, and inductor windings, etc.
- Ballast circuitry 18 may be connected to an Edison-type screw base (not shown) for being received in a conventional incandescent lamp socket.
- PCB printed-circuit board
- Conductive clips 22 and 24 are mounted on the lower-shown portion of PCB 20, and are part of the lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect of the invention. They are connected to ballast circuitry 18 by printed conductors 26 on the PCB, and will be described in detail below.
- FIG. 2 shows convolutions of one end of lamp tube 14 more clearly.
- a first lamp tube end 14A protrudes upwardly through aperture 12A of cap 12. From end 14A, lamp tube 14 projects downwardly in a linear direction for some length, and then undergoes a full (e.g. 180°) bend to project upwardly through cap aperture 12B as tube portion 14B, and, after another full bend, back downwardly through the upper-shown portion of aperture 12B. Similar convolutions (or bends) occur with lamp portion 14C and cap aperture 12C, and with tube portion 14D and aperture 12D.
- a second end of lamp tube 14 is shown as lamp end 14E, which projects upwardly through aperture 12E. Lamp tube 14 thus undergoes seven full bends, although the invention applies to lamps with other numbers of bends.
- lamp end (or tip) 30 of lamp tube portion 14C projects upwardly more than the other lamp ends shown; it may comprise a so-called amalgam tip for containing an amalgam used as part of the mentioned fill materials in lamp tube 14.
- Thermal heat shield 16 accommodates lamp tip 30 by including a tip cover 32 for receiving tip 30.
- Similar tip covers 33, 34 and 35 accommodate lamp tips 36, 14E and 14A, respectively.
- Elongated cathode 41, from lamp tip 14A, and cathode 42, from lamp tip 14E, are connected to a loom 43.
- Two cathodes exit each tip end to accommodate filament-heated cathode portions (not shown) within the lamp tube.
- Loom 43 holds cathodes 41 and 42 in place for connection to respective conductive clips 22 and 24 on PCB 20.
- Loom 43 is preferably formed integrally with plastic cap 12, and receives cathodes 41 and 42 in respective grooves; such grooves are numbered in the detail upper plan view of the loom in Fig. 3 as grooves 46, 47, 48 and 49. Referring to Fig. 3, loom 43 may comprise a pair of spaced walls 43A and 43B.
- a locating projection 44 preferably higher than walls 43A and 43B, cooperates with a groove 45 in PCB 20 (Fig. 1), to help locate the PCB with respect to loom 43.
- Projection 44 is preferably integral with plastic cap 12 (Fig. 1), and with loom walls 43A and 43B.
- grooves 46-49 (Fig. 3) to tightly grip the cathodes portions received therein, as will be explained below.
- walls 46A and 46B of groove 46 cooperate to form a wedge-shape as shown.
- Wall 46A further includes a spline 50
- wall 46B includes a further spline 51.
- Both splines extend nearly the depth of groove 46, i.e., from groove opening 46C to groove bottom 46D.
- Splines 50 and 51 are preferably offset from each other, as shown in the detail upper plan view of Fig. 5.
- a cathode (not shown) received in the groove 46 will have a diameter larger than the transverse dimension of groove bottom 46D.
- Clip 22 includes a pinching groove 22A formed through a generally flat portion 22B of the clip. Slanted regions 54 at the "mouth" of the groove help guide a cathode into the groove.
- Clip 22 includes a pair of legs 22C and 22D for insertion into respective apertures (not shown) in PCB 20 (Fig. 1). The use of two such legs provides an anti-rotation mechanism for the clip.
- a further leg, 22E projects in an opposite direction from legs 22C and 22D, and constitutes a handle to allow an automatic pick-and-place machine (not shown) to pick (i.e.
- the bottom of clip 22 includes a relatively enlarged, circular hole 22F as shown in the detail view of Fig. 6A. This causes the left and rights sides of the clip, as shown in Fig.6A, to exhibit spring-like resilience for pressing against a cathode (not shown).
- FIG. 7 An assembled lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect is shown in Fig. 7. As shown therein, heat shield 16 rests atop loom 43. Splines 51 of each of grooves 46 are shown in full, while PCB 20 and the remainder of walls 43A and 43B of the loom are shown in cross section. Clip 22 is shown, together with its various legs 22C, 22D and 22E described above.
- Fig. 8 shows a simplified, side plan view of an assembled lamp 10, in which a ballast housing 62 attaches to cap 12 in a conventional manner, and encloses PCB 20.
- PCB 20 in turn, is connected to an Edison-type screw base 63 by means of schematically shown conductors 64.
- Thermal heat shield 16 with (lamp tube) tip caps 34 and 35, for instance, separates ballast circuitry (not shown) on PCB 20 from the adjacent tips (or ends) of lamp tube 14. Details of thermal heat shield 16 will be provided below.
- a pick-and-place machine may advantageously pick (i.e., grip) each of cathodes 41 and 42, and place it in its respective groove in loom 43.
- a pick-and-place machine may advantageously pick (i.e., grip) each of cathodes 41 and 42, and place it in its respective groove in loom 43.
- Fig. 9, taken at arrows 9, 9 in Fig. 3, shows the picking and placing of cathode 42 into loom 43.
- cathode 42 is first extended upwards, as shown, in alignment with the illustrated portion of lamp tube 14.
- a pick-and-place machine then grips cathode 42 at point 64, for instance, and moves such point along arc 66 to reach point 68.
- arc 66 is approximately tangential about axis 69 where cathode 42 exits lamp tip 14E; this minimizes bending of cathode 42 while it is being positioned atop loom 43.
- Cathode 42' then rests partially within groove 49 as shown in Fig. 10, which is a detail of groove 49 similar to Fig. 4. In this manner, cathode 42 is inserted laterally into grooves 49 with respect to the longitudinal dimension (not shown) of the grooves. At this point, cathode 42 appears as shown in phantom at 42'.
- the left-most shown portion of cathode 42 can be held taut by, for instance, being wrapped around a post 70 as shown that is stationary with respect to loom 43.
- post 70 can be dispensed with.
- a pick-and-place machine can pick and place any one or any combination (e.g. all) of the four cathodes 41 and 42 simultaneously.
- Such machine may be a machine specifically made to perform the described pick-and-place operation, or could be a general purpose machine programmed to perform the specific operation required herein.
- thermal heat shield 16 is then positioned inside cap 12, with guide members 58 of the cap being received within slots 56 of the heat shield.
- Heat shield 16 can be positioned to rest atop loom 43, as more clearly shown in the detail, assembled view of Fig. 7.
- heat shield 16 snap fits around loom 43, locking the free ends of cathodes 41 and 42 in place.
- "Ears" 20A of PCB 20, with clips 22 and 24 thereon, are then inserted through slot 60 in thermal heat shield 16. Simultaneously, ears 20B of PCB 20 are received within guide slots 58A in guide members 58 of cap 12, so as to guide the interconnection of clips 22 and 24 with cathodes 42 and 43.
- locating projection 44 shown in Fig. 3.
- cathodes 41 and 42 are respectively received within pinching grooves 22A (Fig. 6) of the clips.
- the adjacent portions of the cathodes are pressed downwardly into their respective grooves in the loom, securing the cathodes within the grooves as explained above in connection with Figs. 4 and 5.
- the pinching grooves of clips 22 and 24 pinch the cathode portions received within such grooves, so as to form a so-called gas-tight seal between the clips and the cathodes.
- pinching groove 22A (Fig. 6) of clip 22, for instance, may have a typical width of 0.275 millimeters where the diameter of the cathode to be received within the groove is 0.032 millimeters.
- Hole 22F of the clip as shown in Fig. 6A, is larger in diameter than the rest of groove 22A.
- Clip 22 is preferably formed of beryllium-copper or of other conductive material exhibiting a similar stiffness.
- Cathodes 41 and 42 may comprise nickel-plated steel, by way of example. Using the foregoing dimensions and materials has been found to result in a gas-tight seal between the cathodes and the conductive clips, which retards oxidation of the contact over time.
- the lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect feature of the present invention is especially useful for compact fluorescent lamps, in which cost considerations are paramount. This is because such lamps are intended to replace low cost incandescent lamps purchased by individual (i.e., non-institutional) consumers.
- the interconnect feature can also be used with other lamps having cathodes, such as low pressure or high pressure sodium lamps, high intensity discharge lamps, mercury discharge lamps, or low voltage incandescent lamps using ballast circuitry for voltage reduction.
- ballast housing 64 was metallized with 1 to 2 millimeters of copper to increase thermal spreading on its plastic surface.
- Interior ridges were formed on ballast housing 64 to increase its heat-emitting surface area.
- Lamp tube 14 was separated from the ballast circuitry to thermally isolate them from each other.
- a copper heat spreader (not shown) with 30.5 ⁇ m (1.2 mils) thickness was added to a non-circuit side of PCB 20 to provide thermal heat spreading.
- the surface of cap 12 facing the ballast circuitry was dimpled toward such circuitry to let more light and heat pass away from the circuitry, increasing the net light output of the tube.
- White thermal glue was used instead of dark glue that holds lamp tube 14 in cap 12 to both reflect more light back towards the tube and to thermally isolate the cathode-generated heat from the ballast circuitry.
- the mentioned electrolytic capacitor was moved further towards base 63 to both isolate it from the hotter ballast components and to move it closer to the cooler base.
- the filament-heated cathodes were moved higher up within respective portions of lamp tube 14.
- a horizontally oriented printed-circuit board from the perspective of Fig. 8, was used instead of the vertically oriented PCB 20 shown.
- a non-glossy and non-metallized heat shield 16 of Valox® plastic was used, as shown, to thermally isolate lamp tube 14 from the ballast circuitry.
- a non-metallized heat shield 16 of Valox® plastic was similarly used, but with the side facing lamp tube 14 having a surface that had been polished to present a glossy surface.
- a heat shield 16 of Valox® plastic with 1 to 2 millimeters of copper metallization on the ballast side, was used to thermally isolate and block radiant light and infra-red energy emanating from the lamp tube 14 to the ballast circuitry.
- the Valox® plastic referred to herein is available as product No. 420SEO, available from the General Electric Company of Fairfield, New York. Such material is of a polyester-based family of plastics, specially processed to give the attributes of a good flammability rating (i.e., Underwriters Laboratory rating of V-O) in a thin wall section.
- the material has a high structural strength resulting from a crystalline structure and the addition of a glass filler. It has good ultraviolet resistance, which is enhanced by the glass filler. Titanium oxide is added to give the material a white appearance instead of its natural light gray appearance. The white color contributes to increased reflectivity of usable light and minimizes absorption of ultraviolet light. Further, the thickness of the Valox® plastic in the above tests was approximately 2.0 millimeters thick.
- the most effective reduction of ballast operating temperature occurred through the use of metallized Valox® plastic, i.e., test 21, with average ballast component temperature drop of 20 degrees C, and secondarily, through the use of non-metallized but glossy Valox® plastic, i.e., test 20, with an average drop of 10 degrees C.
- Other tests showed that the use of non-metallized, non-glossy Valox® plastic in the color white mentioned above was still quite effective, although somewhat less so than the use of non-metallized but glossy Valox® plastic. It is preferred that the invention achieve a temperature drop of at least about one degree, and more preferably about three degrees, and still more preferably about five degrees or even more.
- Lexan® plastic can also be used.
- Lexan® plastic can also be used.
- One formulation of Lexan® plastic that would be suitable is that sold with product number HF1110R-803 by General Electric Company of Fairfield, New York.
- Such material is of the polycarbonate family, and is amorphous in structure. It is especially well suited to precision molding of parts due to its uniform shrinkage when cooling.
- the material has high impact strength and is somewhat flexible, which allows thin cross-section parts to be molded and ejected without part breakage. It is also resistant to ultraviolet light.
- the -803 product code indicates a white color, with the same advantages due to the color white as mentioned above for Valox® plastic..
- a typical thickness For Lexan® plastic is 1.0 millimeters.
- thermal heat shield aspect of the present invention has been described with respect to a compact fluorescent lamp, it also applies to linear fluorescent lamps. Further, it applies to lamps of the foregoing type that are electroded, as well as those that are electrodeless, since the means (not shown) for transferring power to the lamp tubes in both cases generate a significant amount of heat.
- a first aspect of the present invention provides a lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect and method of making such interconnection with minimal complexity and cost and that can be highly automated.
- a second aspect of the invention provides a fluorescent lamp in which ballast temperature is significantly reduced and ballast lifetime thus significantly lengthened, or in which the lamp can operate in a relatively hot environment such as in a recessed fixture.
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- Arrangement Of Elements, Cooling, Sealing, Or The Like Of Lighting Devices (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to a fluorescent lamp employing a thermal heat shield between lamp tubes and ballast for extending ballast life.
- Compact fluorescent lamps typically comprise a lamp tube with a number of 180° convolutions, or bends, to achieve compactness, while maintaining a long tube length. Located at each end of the lamp tube is a respective pair of elongated conductors connected across the ends of a filament-heated type of cathode within the lamp tube. Such conductors are referred to herein as cathodes, or elongated cathodes. The cathodes are connected to ballast circuitry to suitably condition the current supplied to the cathodes. The ballast circuitry, in turn, is typically connected to an Edison-type screw base for installation into a conventional incandescent lamp socket.
- One prior art practice of connecting lamp cathodes to ballast circuitry has been to make such connection using so-called wire crimps. Thus, the end of a cathode is placed in one end of a wire crimp (i.e., a cylindrically shaped conductive member), and a wire from the ballast circuitry is placed in the other end of the wire crimp. The wire crimp is then compressed to make a mechanically and electrically sound connection between cathode and ballast circuitry.
- A trend in the design of compact fluorescent lamps has been to increase lamp wattage, to achieve higher light output Such lamps include an envelope, or tube, in which suitable fill materials are provided to produce light. The cathodes of the lamps are of the filament-heated type, and are maintained at a high temperature to assure proper lamp operation. With the ballast circuitry for the lamp positioned adjacent lamp tube and heated lamp cathodes, the increased heat from the increased-wattage lamps causes ballast temperature to increase. It is known that for every 10 degrees Celsius increase in temperature, the wear out of various ballast components (e.g., electrolytic capacitors) is accelerated by about 50 percent. Other factors increase ballast temperature, such as placing ballast circuitry within a recessed fixture that limits ballast cooling, or including an amalgam in the fill of the lamp tube which results in system temperature increase in certain application (e.g., in a recessed lamp fixture).
- In DE-A-4209763 there is described a compact fluorescent lamp which includes a heat shield separating power transforming means (electrical lead-ins for the lamp tube) from the ballast circuitry of the lamp.
- US-A-4,871,944 describes a compact fluorescent lamp in which ventilation apertures are provided in the housing of the lamp base, to cool the lamp and its ballast circuitry.
- As detailed below, the present inventors performed a considerable number of thermal studies on compact fluorescent lamps to determine a simple (e.g., low cost) and effective approach to limiting ballast temperature.
- Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a fluorescent lamp in which ballast temperature is significantly reduced and ballast lifetime thus significantly lengthened.
- A further object of the invention is to enable a fluorescent lamp to operate with increased lifetime of its ballast circuitry when the lamp is positioned in a relatively hot (e.g., recessed) fixture.
- A still further object of the invention is to realize the foregoing by the use of a thermal heat shield that can be provided at low cost
- In accordance with the invention, there is provided a fluorescent lamp (10), comprising:
- (a) a lamp tube having first and second ends, and containing fill materials for causing light generation when provided with electrical power;
- (b) first and second power-transferring means at said first and second ends of said lamp tube, respectively, for providing said fill materials in said lamp tube with said electrical power;
- (c) a support member for supporting at least the first end of said lamp tube;
- (d) a housing for ballast circuitry; said housing being attached to said support member and being substantially free of ventilating apertures; and
- (e) a thermal heat shield separating said first power-transferring means from ballast circuitry, which is contained within said housing, which supplies power to said first power-transferring means, and which has a lifetime that becomes substantially less as its operating,temperature increases; characterized by
- (f) said thermal heat shield being generally flat except for at least one cover for accommodating an end of said lamp tube;
- (g) said thermal heat shield being substantially the sole thermal convective heat shield between said first power-transferring means and said ballast circuitry; and
- (h) said thermal heat shield reflecting back radiant energy to said first power-transferring means and any adjacent portion of said lamp tube and thereby reducing the operating temperature of said ballast circuitry by more than about one degree Celsius compared with the absence of said heat shield.
-
- In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like, or corresponding elements, throughout the following figures:
- Fig. 1 is a simplified, exploded view in perspective of a compact fluorescent lamp incorporating both heat shield and lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect features of the present invention.
- Fig. 2 shows parts of the lamp of Fig. 1 from the perspective of an
arrow 28 in Fig. 1. - Fig. 3 is a detail upper plan view of a
loom 43 shown in Fig. 1. - Fig. 4 is a detail side plan view of
groove 46 of Fig. 3. - Fig. 5 is a detail upper plan of
groove 46 of Fig. 4. - Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a conductive,
clip 22 of Fig. 1. - Fig. 6A is a detail view of the clip of Fig. 6.
- Fig. 7 is a detail cross-sectional view of an assembled lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect taken at
arrows cathode 41 for clarity. - Fig. 8 is a simplified, side plan view of an assembled lamp in accordance with the invention.
- Fig. 9 is a simplified view showing the automatic positioning of a cathode into a loom of the interconnect feature of the invention, and is taken at
arrows - Fig. 10 is a detail of a groove of an interconnect loom with a cathode resting partially within the groove, and is similar to Fig. 4.
- Fig. 11 shows a left-most portion of a cathode being held taut by a
post 70 around which it is wrapped, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. - Fig. 1 shows selected parts of a compact
fluorescent lamp 10 embodying both heat shield and lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect features of the present invention.Lamp 10 includes aplastic cap 12, shown in simplified form, for holding the upper-shown ends of a convolutedlamp tube 14.Lamp tube 14 contains suitable fill materials for producing light. Athermal heat shield 16, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, reduces the temperature ofballast circuitry 18 to increase its lifetime.Ballast circuitry 18 is schematically shown as a box, although in practice it is realized on a printed-circuit board (PCB) 20 as individual components, such as resistors, special purpose integrated circuit configurations, and inductor windings, etc.Ballast circuitry 18 may be connected to an Edison-type screw base (not shown) for being received in a conventional incandescent lamp socket. -
Conductive clips PCB 20, and are part of the lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect of the invention. They are connected toballast circuitry 18 by printedconductors 26 on the PCB, and will be described in detail below. - Viewing
cap 12 in a downward perspective as indicated byarrow 28 in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 shows convolutions of one end oflamp tube 14 more clearly. A firstlamp tube end 14A protrudes upwardly throughaperture 12A ofcap 12. Fromend 14A,lamp tube 14 projects downwardly in a linear direction for some length, and then undergoes a full (e.g. 180°) bend to project upwardly throughcap aperture 12B astube portion 14B, and, after another full bend, back downwardly through the upper-shown portion ofaperture 12B. Similar convolutions (or bends) occur withlamp portion 14C andcap aperture 12C, and with tube portion 14D andaperture 12D. A second end oflamp tube 14 is shown aslamp end 14E, which projects upwardly throughaperture 12E.Lamp tube 14 thus undergoes seven full bends, although the invention applies to lamps with other numbers of bends. - Referring back to Fig. 1, lamp end (or tip) 30 of
lamp tube portion 14C projects upwardly more than the other lamp ends shown; it may comprise a so-called amalgam tip for containing an amalgam used as part of the mentioned fill materials inlamp tube 14.Thermal heat shield 16 accommodateslamp tip 30 by including atip cover 32 for receivingtip 30. Similar tip covers 33, 34 and 35accommodate lamp tips - Elongated
cathode 41, fromlamp tip 14A, andcathode 42, fromlamp tip 14E, are connected to aloom 43. Two cathodes exit each tip end to accommodate filament-heated cathode portions (not shown) within the lamp tube. Loom 43 holdscathodes conductive clips Loom 43 is preferably formed integrally withplastic cap 12, and receivescathodes grooves loom 43 may comprise a pair of spacedwalls projection 44, preferably higher thanwalls groove 45 in PCB 20 (Fig. 1), to help locate the PCB with respect to loom 43.Projection 44 is preferably integral with plastic cap 12 (Fig. 1), and with loomwalls - It is important for grooves 46-49 (Fig. 3) to tightly grip the cathodes portions received therein, as will be explained below. Thus, as shown in the detail view of
groove 46 in Fig. 4,walls groove 46 cooperate to form a wedge-shape as shown.Wall 46A further includes aspline 50, whilewall 46B includes afurther spline 51. Both splines extend nearly the depth ofgroove 46, i.e., from groove opening 46C to groove bottom 46D.Splines groove 46 will have a diameter larger than the transverse dimension ofgroove bottom 46D. As the cathode is pressed downwardly in the groove, the wedge-like narrowing of the groove, coupled with the splines pressing against the cathode, cause the cathode to be securely held in place for a purpose explained below. - Referring now to the detail view of Fig. 6, a conductive clip, e.g., 22 of Fig. 1 is shown in a preferred form.
Clip 22 includes a pinchinggroove 22A formed through a generallyflat portion 22B of the clip.Slanted regions 54 at the "mouth" of the groove help guide a cathode into the groove.Clip 22 includes a pair oflegs legs clip 22 and install it onto the PCB. Preferably, the bottom ofclip 22 includes a relatively enlarged,circular hole 22F as shown in the detail view of Fig. 6A. This causes the left and rights sides of the clip, as shown in Fig.6A, to exhibit spring-like resilience for pressing against a cathode (not shown). - An assembled lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect is shown in Fig. 7. As shown therein,
heat shield 16 rests atoploom 43.Splines 51 of each ofgrooves 46 are shown in full, whilePCB 20 and the remainder ofwalls Clip 22 is shown, together with itsvarious legs - Fig. 8 shows a simplified, side plan view of an assembled
lamp 10, in which aballast housing 62 attaches to cap 12 in a conventional manner, and enclosesPCB 20.PCB 20, in turn, is connected to an Edison-type screw base 63 by means of schematically shownconductors 64.Thermal heat shield 16, with (lamp tube) tip caps 34 and 35, for instance, separates ballast circuitry (not shown) onPCB 20 from the adjacent tips (or ends) oflamp tube 14. Details ofthermal heat shield 16 will be provided below. - In assembling the parts of the lamp shown in Fig. 1, a pick-and-place machine (not shown) may advantageously pick (i.e., grip) each of
cathodes loom 43. Such automation of the previous hand-made connection described in the Background of the Invention above is illustrated in Fig. 9. - Fig. 9, taken at
arrows cathode 42 into loom 43. Preferably,cathode 42 is first extended upwards, as shown, in alignment with the illustrated portion oflamp tube 14. A pick-and-place machine then gripscathode 42 atpoint 64, for instance, and moves such point alongarc 66 to reachpoint 68. Preferably,arc 66 is approximately tangential aboutaxis 69 wherecathode 42exits lamp tip 14E; this minimizes bending ofcathode 42 while it is being positioned atop loom 43. Cathode 42' then rests partially withingroove 49 as shown in Fig. 10, which is a detail ofgroove 49 similar to Fig. 4. In this manner,cathode 42 is inserted laterally intogrooves 49 with respect to the longitudinal dimension (not shown) of the grooves. At this point,cathode 42 appears as shown in phantom at 42'. - If desired, the left-most shown portion of
cathode 42, as shown in Fig. 11, can be held taut by, for instance, being wrapped around apost 70 as shown that is stationary with respect to loom 43. However, ifcathode 42 is sufficiently stiff, the use ofpost 70 can be dispensed with. - A pick-and-place machine can pick and place any one or any combination (e.g. all) of the four
cathodes - Referring back to Fig. 1,
thermal heat shield 16 is then positioned insidecap 12, withguide members 58 of the cap being received withinslots 56 of the heat shield.Heat shield 16 can be positioned to rest atop loom 43, as more clearly shown in the detail, assembled view of Fig. 7. Preferably,heat shield 16 snap fits around loom 43, locking the free ends ofcathodes PCB 20, withclips slot 60 inthermal heat shield 16. Simultaneously,ears 20B ofPCB 20 are received withinguide slots 58A inguide members 58 ofcap 12, so as to guide the interconnection ofclips cathodes projection 44 shown in Fig. 3. During insertion ofears 20A ofPCB 20 into the space between loomwalls cathodes grooves 22A (Fig. 6) of the clips. As this occurs, the adjacent portions of the cathodes are pressed downwardly into their respective grooves in the loom, securing the cathodes within the grooves as explained above in connection with Figs. 4 and 5. During this time, the pinching grooves ofclips - With regard to the lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect feature of the invention, pinching
groove 22A (Fig. 6) ofclip 22, for instance, may have a typical width of 0.275 millimeters where the diameter of the cathode to be received within the groove is 0.032 millimeters.Hole 22F of the clip, as shown in Fig. 6A, is larger in diameter than the rest ofgroove 22A.Clip 22 is preferably formed of beryllium-copper or of other conductive material exhibiting a similar stiffness.Cathodes - The lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect feature of the present invention is especially useful for compact fluorescent lamps, in which cost considerations are paramount. This is because such lamps are intended to replace low cost incandescent lamps purchased by individual (i.e., non-institutional) consumers. However, the interconnect feature can also be used with other lamps having cathodes, such as low pressure or high pressure sodium lamps, high intensity discharge lamps, mercury discharge lamps, or low voltage incandescent lamps using ballast circuitry for voltage reduction.
- Further referring to Fig 8, further details of the second aspect of the invention, i.e., the thermal heat shield, are now described. As mentioned above, the lifetime of various electronic components of ballast circuitry in a compact fluorescent lamp will decrease as their operating temperature increases. In a compact fluorescent lamp of the type illustrated, employing filament-heated cathodes, the present inventors have discovered from thermal tests that approximately one-third of the heat generated in the lamp originates from so-called wall losses of
lamp tube 14; that approximately one-third of the heat originates from the filament-heated cathodes (not shown); and that approximately one-third of the heat originates from ballast circuitry typically mounted on printed-circuit board (PCB) 20. It is further known that heat transfer amongst the foregoing parts of the lamp may occur by the three thermal-transfer modes of convection, conduction and radiation. However, the relative importance amongst the three heat transfer modes was not understood; as a consequence, the knowledge of an effective, low cost solution to reducing ballast temperature was unavailable. - In searching for an effective low cost solution to reducing ballast temperature, the present inventors undertook a considerable number of thermal tests on a compact fluorescent lamp as shown in Fig. 8. Among the tests conducted were the following, separate tests: (1) Sand was included within
ballast housing 62 to improve the cooling path from the ballast to the housing andbase 63. (2) Heat spreaders (not shown) were placed around magnetic coils (not shown) of the ballast circuitry to isolate heat generated by such coils from an electrolytic capacitor (not shown) of the ballast circuitry. (3) Metal pads (not shown) were placed around the mentioned power FETs to better distribute heat from the FETs. (4) Slots (not shown) of varying sizes and location were made inplastic ballast housing 62 to provide convective cooling path(s) for the ballast circuitry. (5) Thick copper wires of 1.14 mm (45 milli-inch) diameter rather than the nominal 0.635 mm (25 milli-inch) diameter were used asconductors 64 to increases the thermal conductive path from the ballast circuitry onPCB 20 tobase 63. (6) Thermally conductive epoxy was applied between an electrolytic capacitor (not shown) in the ballast circuitry and bothballast housing 62 andbase 63, to improve the thermal path away from the capacitor. (7) Thelamp tube 14 was rotated 180° relative to the ballast circuitry to move the filament-heated cathodes (not shown) away from the mentioned magnetic coils. (8) A clearplastic housing 62 was used in place of a normally opaque housing. (9) A magnetic inductor serving as the resonant inductor of a resonant tank was removed fromhousing 64 and placed externally of such housing. (10) The exterior ofballast housing 64 was metallized with 1 to 2 millimeters of copper to increase thermal spreading on its plastic surface. (11) Interior ridges were formed onballast housing 64 to increase its heat-emitting surface area. (12)Lamp tube 14 was separated from the ballast circuitry to thermally isolate them from each other. (13) A copper heat spreader (not shown) with 30.5 µm (1.2 mils) thickness was added to a non-circuit side ofPCB 20 to provide thermal heat spreading. (14) The surface ofcap 12 facing the ballast circuitry was dimpled toward such circuitry to let more light and heat pass away from the circuitry, increasing the net light output of the tube. (15) White thermal glue was used instead of dark glue that holdslamp tube 14 incap 12 to both reflect more light back towards the tube and to thermally isolate the cathode-generated heat from the ballast circuitry. (16) The mentioned electrolytic capacitor was moved further towardsbase 63 to both isolate it from the hotter ballast components and to move it closer to the cooler base. (17) The filament-heated cathodes were moved higher up within respective portions oflamp tube 14. (18) A horizontally oriented printed-circuit board, from the perspective of Fig. 8, was used instead of the vertically orientedPCB 20 shown. (19) A non-glossy andnon-metallized heat shield 16 of Valox® plastic was used, as shown, to thermally isolatelamp tube 14 from the ballast circuitry. (20) Anon-metallized heat shield 16 of Valox® plastic was similarly used, but with the side facinglamp tube 14 having a surface that had been polished to present a glossy surface. (21) Aheat shield 16 of Valox® plastic, with 1 to 2 millimeters of copper metallization on the ballast side, was used to thermally isolate and block radiant light and infra-red energy emanating from thelamp tube 14 to the ballast circuitry. - The Valox® plastic referred to herein is available as product No. 420SEO, available from the General Electric Company of Fairfield, New York. Such material is of a polyester-based family of plastics, specially processed to give the attributes of a good flammability rating (i.e., Underwriters Laboratory rating of V-O) in a thin wall section. The material has a high structural strength resulting from a crystalline structure and the addition of a glass filler. It has good ultraviolet resistance, which is enhanced by the glass filler. Titanium oxide is added to give the material a white appearance instead of its natural light gray appearance. The white color contributes to increased reflectivity of usable light and minimizes absorption of ultraviolet light. Further, the thickness of the Valox® plastic in the above tests was approximately 2.0 millimeters thick.
- From the foregoing tests, the most effective reduction of ballast operating temperature occurred through the use of metallized Valox® plastic, i.e., test 21, with average ballast component temperature drop of 20 degrees C, and secondarily, through the use of non-metallized but glossy Valox® plastic, i.e.,
test 20, with an average drop of 10 degrees C. Other tests showed that the use of non-metallized, non-glossy Valox® plastic in the color white mentioned above was still quite effective, although somewhat less so than the use of non-metallized but glossy Valox® plastic. It is preferred that the invention achieve a temperature drop of at least about one degree, and more preferably about three degrees, and still more preferably about five degrees or even more. - Many materials other than Valox® plastic can be used for implementing the thermal heat shield of the invention. For instance, Lexan® plastic can also be used. One formulation of Lexan® plastic that would be suitable is that sold with product number HF1110R-803 by General Electric Company of Fairfield, New York. Such material is of the polycarbonate family, and is amorphous in structure. It is especially well suited to precision molding of parts due to its uniform shrinkage when cooling. The material has high impact strength and is somewhat flexible, which allows thin cross-section parts to be molded and ejected without part breakage. It is also resistant to ultraviolet light. The -803 product code indicates a white color, with the same advantages due to the color white as mentioned above for Valox® plastic.. A typical thickness For Lexan® plastic is 1.0 millimeters.
- Although the thermal heat shield aspect of the present invention has been described with respect to a compact fluorescent lamp, it also applies to linear fluorescent lamps. Further, it applies to lamps of the foregoing type that are electroded, as well as those that are electrodeless, since the means (not shown) for transferring power to the lamp tubes in both cases generate a significant amount of heat.
- From the foregoing, it will be realized that a first aspect of the present invention provides a lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect and method of making such interconnection with minimal complexity and cost and that can be highly automated. A second aspect of the invention provides a fluorescent lamp in which ballast temperature is significantly reduced and ballast lifetime thus significantly lengthened, or in which the lamp can operate in a relatively hot environment such as in a recessed fixture.
Claims (11)
- A fluorescent lamp (10), comprising:(a) a lamp tube (14) having first (14A) and second (14E) ends, and containing fill materials for causing light generation when provided with electrical power;(b) first (41) and second (42) power-transferring means at said first and second ends of said lamp tube, respectively, for providing said fill materials in said lamp tube with said electrical power;(c) a support member (43) for supporting at least the first end of said lamp tube;(d) a housing (12) for ballast circuitry; said housing being attached to said support member and being substantially free of ventilating apertures; and(e) a thermal heat shield (16) separating said first power-transferring means from ballast circuitry, which is contained within said housing, which supplies power to said first power-transferring means, and which has a lifetime that becomes substantially less as its operating temperature increases; characterized by(f) said thermal heat shield being generally flat except for at least one cover (32) for accommodating an end of said lamp tube;(g) said thermal heat shield being substantially the sole thermal convective heat shield between said first power-transferring means and said ballast circuitry; and(h) said thermal heat shield being constructed so that it reflects back to said first power-transferring means and any adjacent portion of said lamp tube sufficient radiant energy to reduce the operating temperature of said ballast circuitry by more than about one degree Celsius compared with the absence of said heat shield.
- The lamp of claim 1 wherein said lamp tube has a plurality of convolutions.
- The lamp of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said thermal heat shield reflects back to said first power-transferring means and any adjacent portion of said lamp tube sufficient radiant energy to reduce the operating temperature of said ballast circuitry by more than about 5 degrees Celsius compared with the absence of said heat shield.
- The lamp of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said thermal heat shield includes a layer of metallization for enhancing reflectivity of radiant energy to said first power-transferring means and any adjacent portion of said lamp tube.
- The lamp of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said thermal heat shield comprises an opaque, light colored plastic material.
- The lamp of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said thermal heat shield comprises a generally thin material.
- The lamp of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said thermal heat shield includes a slot (60) for passage therethrough of a cathode lead of the lamp.
- The lamp of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said lamp further comprises an Edison-type screw base for connection to an external source of power.
- The lamp of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said lamp tube comprises an amalgam tip for containing an amalgam.
- The lamp of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said lamp comprises filament-heated cathode portions.
- The lamp of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said ballast circuitry includes an electrolytic capacitor.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US569019 | 1995-12-07 | ||
US08/569,019 US5691598A (en) | 1995-12-07 | 1995-12-07 | Fluorescent lamp with thermal heat shield between lamp tube and ballast circuitry |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0778609A2 EP0778609A2 (en) | 1997-06-11 |
EP0778609A3 EP0778609A3 (en) | 1997-09-17 |
EP0778609B1 true EP0778609B1 (en) | 2002-06-12 |
Family
ID=24273762
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP96308767A Expired - Lifetime EP0778609B1 (en) | 1995-12-07 | 1996-12-04 | Fluorescent lamp with thermal heat shield between lamp tube and ballast circuitry |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US5691598A (en) |
EP (1) | EP0778609B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1159655A (en) |
DE (1) | DE69621753D1 (en) |
MX (1) | MX9606209A (en) |
Families Citing this family (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR200144548Y1 (en) * | 1996-06-15 | 1999-06-15 | 조성호 | Ballasts for Compact Fluorescent Lamps |
HU218635B (en) * | 1996-12-20 | 2000-10-28 | General Electric Co | Single ended discharge lamp |
HUP9603622A1 (en) * | 1996-12-30 | 1998-08-28 | General Electric Co | Single ended discharge lamp |
US6064155A (en) * | 1998-05-04 | 2000-05-16 | Matsushita Electric Works Research And Development Labratory Inc | Compact fluorescent lamp as a retrofit for an incandescent lamp |
JP3327224B2 (en) * | 1998-10-28 | 2002-09-24 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Low pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp |
US6204602B1 (en) | 1999-05-17 | 2001-03-20 | Magnetek, Inc. | Compact fluorescent lamp and ballast assembly with an air gap for thermal isolation |
US6534001B1 (en) * | 1999-07-13 | 2003-03-18 | General Electric Company | Fluid irradiation system with lamp having an external drive coil |
JP3319460B2 (en) * | 2000-06-19 | 2002-09-03 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Fluorescent lamp device |
US6794801B2 (en) * | 2001-10-31 | 2004-09-21 | Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation | Compact selfballasted fluorescent lamp and luminaire |
KR200308301Y1 (en) * | 2002-12-30 | 2003-03-26 | 문대승 | Electronic ballaster for fluorescent lamp |
EP1774570A2 (en) * | 2004-07-27 | 2007-04-18 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Integrated reflector lamp |
US7284877B2 (en) * | 2005-08-03 | 2007-10-23 | Ruud Lighting, Inc. | Industrial light fixture with spring-spacer apparatus |
HU0700331D0 (en) * | 2007-05-10 | 2007-07-30 | Ge Hungary Zrt | Compact fluorescent lamp with outer envelope and method for manufacturing |
US7686461B2 (en) * | 2007-06-12 | 2010-03-30 | General Electric Company | Integral ballast-igniter-lamp unit for a high intensity discharge lamp |
JP2010103024A (en) * | 2008-10-27 | 2010-05-06 | Nec Lighting Ltd | Fluorescent lamp |
US8264130B2 (en) | 2010-05-26 | 2012-09-11 | General Electric Company | Safety protection solution for compact fluorescent lamps |
KR101441261B1 (en) * | 2010-09-27 | 2014-09-17 | 도시바 라이텍쿠 가부시키가이샤 | Lightbulb-formed lamp and illumination apparatus |
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US1670716A (en) * | 1923-11-12 | 1928-05-22 | Gen Electric | Heat deflector for incandescent lamps and similar devices |
US2084999A (en) * | 1935-10-17 | 1937-06-29 | Birdseye Electric Corp | Electric lamp |
US2671183A (en) * | 1951-09-12 | 1954-03-02 | Gen Electric | Electric discharge lamp mount |
US2664513A (en) * | 1951-09-26 | 1953-12-29 | Westinghouse Electric Corp | Metallic heat shield for incandescent lamps |
US2976441A (en) * | 1956-08-23 | 1961-03-21 | Westinghouse Electric Corp | Electric lamp |
US3007069A (en) * | 1958-05-02 | 1961-10-31 | Gen Electric | Heat deflectors for electric lamps or similar devices |
US3283198A (en) * | 1963-12-10 | 1966-11-01 | Westinghouse Electric Corp | Filament mount and heat shield structure for electric incandescent lamp |
US3688148A (en) * | 1970-11-17 | 1972-08-29 | Anatoly Stepanovich Fedorenko | Amalgam housing means for a fluorescent lamp |
US3953726A (en) * | 1974-12-06 | 1976-04-27 | Scarritt Sr Frank M | Infinitely adjustable level light |
US4871944A (en) * | 1979-02-13 | 1989-10-03 | North American Philips Corp. | Compact lighting unit having a convoluted fluorescent lamp with integral mercury-vapor pressure-regulating means, and method of phosphor-coating the convoluted envelope for such a lamp |
US4308650A (en) * | 1979-12-28 | 1982-01-05 | Gte Products Corporation | Method of making a mercury dispenser, getter and shield assembly for a fluorescent lamp |
NL8001833A (en) * | 1980-03-28 | 1981-10-16 | Philips Nv | LOW-PRESSURE MERCURY DISCHARGE LAMP. |
JPS5719959A (en) * | 1980-07-11 | 1982-02-02 | Toshiba Corp | Fluorescent lamp device |
US4500810A (en) * | 1980-11-25 | 1985-02-19 | North American Philips Lighting Corporation | Fluorescent lamp having integral light-filtering means and starting aid |
JPS57202056A (en) * | 1981-06-05 | 1982-12-10 | Toshiba Corp | Fluorescent lamp unit |
US4490649A (en) * | 1982-10-20 | 1984-12-25 | General Electric Company | Thermal baffle inside a discharge lamp |
JPS60101856A (en) * | 1983-11-08 | 1985-06-05 | Toshiba Corp | Metallic vapor discharge lamp |
US4794301A (en) * | 1986-08-19 | 1988-12-27 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Fluorescent lamp having a convoluted discharge passage and fluorescent lamp apparatus incorporating the same |
DE3729305A1 (en) * | 1987-09-02 | 1989-03-16 | Philips Patentverwaltung | HIGH PRESSURE DISCHARGE LAMP |
DE4209763A1 (en) * | 1991-06-18 | 1992-12-24 | Hartmut Dipl Phys Schmidt | Electronically operated compact fluorescent lamp - has heat insulating component between lamp envelope and lamp operating circuit in socket |
-
1995
- 1995-12-07 US US08/569,019 patent/US5691598A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1996
- 1996-12-04 EP EP96308767A patent/EP0778609B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1996-12-04 DE DE69621753T patent/DE69621753D1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1996-12-06 MX MX9606209A patent/MX9606209A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1996-12-07 CN CN96123203A patent/CN1159655A/en active Pending
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0778609A3 (en) | 1997-09-17 |
EP0778609A2 (en) | 1997-06-11 |
MX9606209A (en) | 1998-04-30 |
DE69621753D1 (en) | 2002-07-18 |
US5691598A (en) | 1997-11-25 |
CN1159655A (en) | 1997-09-17 |
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